FOCS holds talk on crisis with MHA
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, May 27 2025: The Federation of Civil Society (FOCS), Manipur, has urged the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for an urgent reassessment of the ongoing conflict in the state, asserting that the current crisis has outgrown its initial moral framing and now demands a strategically grounded response from both the state and central governments.

A delegation of FOCS led by its president BM Yaima met MHA officials in the national capital on Tuesday to discuss the crisis in the state and way forward.

Informing about the meeting, a press statement issued by FOCS stated that during the meeting, the delegation laid out five key discussion points, which include moral framing, rationale for reframing, framing the denial, conceptual reframing and operational reframing, highlighting the changing nature of the conflict and the risks it poses to regional and national security.

The Federation stressed that some senior government officials continue to perceive the situation through the moral lens applied in the early days of the conflict, particularly the period immediately following May 3, 2023, when violence erupted in various parts of the state.

It was the Kuki-Zo elements who first lit the flames of violence in Churachandpur, and what unfolded in the valley areas in the immediate aftermath was a spontaneous reaction to the planned execution of violence by the Kuk-Zo against the Meeteis in Churachandpur.

However, FOCS argued, the dynamics of the conflict shifted substantially soon after, especially from May 22, 2023 onwards, with an increase in armed and militarised violence.

The failure to adjust the moral framing to reflect this shift could result in dangerous misjudgements and inadvertent legitimisation of continuing violence, it warned.

The initial phase, they noted, involved spontaneous mob violence, mass displacement and widespread arson.

However, from late May 2023, the conflict entered a second phase marked by more organised armed engagements, fortifications, creation of buffer zones, and territorial control.

According to FOCS, this was the critical window for the government to intervene decisively.

Instead, the delay in response allowed ethnic militias to entrench themselves, hardliners to seize control and moderate voices to be marginalised.

The third phase, which began around September 2024; marked a dangerous escalation.

On September 1, drone-based attacks targeted Koutruk, followed by a long-range projectile (missile) strike in Moirang.

These incidents signalled the arrival of high-grade weapon systems in the conflict, raising alarm within the security establishment.

The use of drones and missiles fundamentally altered the conflict by threatening the operational effectiveness of security forces, FOCS said.

It further informed that further intensification was witnessed through the adoption of grey-zone warfare and terrorist tactics.

FOCS highlighted that on June 21, 2023, a powerful IED blast destroyed a bridge in Kwakta, in Bishnupur district, injuring civilians and damaging property.

Subsequent acts of sabotage followed, including the contamination of a stream with heavy fuel in Leimakhong in January 2024, an attack on a convoy of fuel tankers in April near Keimai on NH-37, and an IED explosion damaging a bridge on NH-2 near Kangpokpi.

Militant elements also targeted the state's power grid in April 2024, further exacerbating the humanitarian and logistical crisis.

Though the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Indian Army later issued strong warnings and carried out arrests, these measures were reactive rather than preventative.

FOCS pointed to the July 2024 NIA charges against two accused in the Kwakta bridge blast case as one of the few examples of effective intervention, albeit delayed.

More alarmingly, at least 33 Meetei civilians have disappeared after inadvertently or deliberately crossing into Kuki-controlled territories, a pattern it called as a "serious and escalating humanitarian concern" .

It also drew attention to the geographical shift of the conflict toward the Indo-Myanmar border, where recent clashes between Kuki National Army (B) factions and Meetei underground organisations have raised fresh concerns.

FOCS warned that this trend could entangle the already volatile region into broader cross-border insurgency dynamics, especially in light of Myanmar's political instability and the possible involvement of external actors like China.

The civil society group also criticised the way government officials rejected Kuki-Zo demands for a separate administration or UT status, and maintained that denying these demands on mere administrative grounds lacks moral clarity and could embolden further separatist assertions.

Instead, they urged the state and Centre to reaffirm Manipur's historic, indivisible identity, a framing they believe would give moral strength and reassurance to the Meetei community and dissuade similar future demands.

FOCS also questioned the portrayal of the crisis as an inevitable outgrowth of the state's history.

It criticised this explanation, asserting that such narratives are neither accurate nor helpful.

Contrary to the belief that communal violence is endemic to Manipur's socio-political fabric, the delegation reminded that Meetei community has largely not been involved in major ethnic conflict, except for a brief episode with Muslim community in 1993.On the operational front, FOCS pointed to several instances where decisive actions by the security forces helped bring down violence.

The delegation cited the cessation of drone and rocket attacks following the visit of the Assam Rifles Director General and a firm message delivered from the home ministry.

Likewise, operations in Imphal East in December 2024 forced armed groups to retreat, and NIA-led interventions significantly reduced sabotage incidents.

These examples prove that with clear directives and political backing, security forces are capable of containing violence and safeguarding civilians, FOCS contended.

FOCS emphasised that the situation in Manipur has evolved beyond initial perceptions of ethnic grievance or victimhood.

It has become a deeply militarised conflict, driven by hardliners and fuelled by strategic narratives, technological escalation and state inertia.

The organisation called for immediate strategic recalibration, operational assertiveness and an honest, morally grounded communication strategy that recognises Manipur's historical integrity and protects its future.

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